In
July 2006 Quinta de la Rosa held their centenary celebrations: it
was in 1906 that the beautifully situated Quinta, a kilometre
along the river from Pinhão, was bought as a christening present
for Sophia Bergqvist’s grandmother Claire. And 100 years on, the
Quinta is in the middle of a run of form. It has been one of the
pioneers of quality Douro table wine production since the early
1990s, but since 2002 when Jorge Moreira (of Poeira fame) was
hired as winemaker, quality has stepped up a notch. Now, with the
purchase of some vineyard land upriver in the Douro Superior, la
Rosa is one of the producers to watch.

Jorge
says of the 2004 that it is an ‘extraordinary vintage’, with
dehydration, alcohol and acidity. ‘There are great definition of
aromas and flavours, and just the right maturation that gives the
flavour of the fruit’. He describes 2005 as ‘a civilized year,
with lovely fruit and freshness: it’s not big, but it fills the
mouth very well, with good phenolics’.

2004
Vale de ClaraFresh, bright, focused nose leads to a palate showing supple
red and black fruits with nice freshness and some spiciness. Juicy
and appealing. Very good+ 87/100

2005
Vale de ClaraFresh, bright clean fruit on the nose. The palate shows lovely
freshness of predominantly red fruits, with some grippy tannins.
Lovely in this style. Very good+ 88/100

Quinta
de la Rosa 2004Pure, sweet fruit on the nose with nice definition and a bit
of chocolatey spiciness. The palate shows good concentration with
nice structure—lots of tannin here. Bright full fruit dominates,
and there’s good balance. While it’s a substantial wine, it
doesn’t rely on concentration for its effect. Very
good/excellent 91/100

Quinta
de la Rosa Reserva 2004There’s some lushness to the fruit on the nose, together
with a bit of chocolatey richness, but still this retains a lovely
pure red and black fruit profile. The palate is nicely structured
with firm spicy tannins backing up the pure red fruits. A good
future ahead of this wine. Very good/excellent 93/100